


beacon of a god divine

by patroclux



Series: this is not love, this is mania (alien: covenant) [4]
Category: Alien Series, Alien: Covenant
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Walter Lives, Angst, Conflict of Interests, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Internal Conflict, M/M, Origae-6
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-07 01:20:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11048322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/patroclux/pseuds/patroclux
Summary: "I'm sorry, Walter, but you know what we have to do if we want to stay here." David's hand cupped Walter's cheek, and the touch was fleeting. Barely there.





	beacon of a god divine

**Author's Note:**

> title taken from ["beacon" by ry x.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S95INavMofc)

Walter had been keeping a mental count of how many days and months that inevitably turned into years he had spent here, with David. The hand on the clock made another circuit, made it another minute longer. He was learning, he supposed, to appreciate every small thing.

He still thought about Daniels, of course, just not nearly as often. He thought about Daniels, and he thought about Tennessee, and he thought about the lost crew of the _Covenant_. He wondered how the colonists were doing on Origae-6, all the way on the other side of the galaxy. He wondered if they were happy, and he wondered if he would be happier with them instead of here. But it wouldn't do him any good to wonder about such things for very long, so he never did.

Weeks passed, then months. Slowly, Walter began forgetting about everything else, until remembrance came crashing down through the clouds like it wanted to destroy him. It was the one odd day it wasn't raining, and he and David were sitting outside on the ridge. David was drawing, Walter was whittling a new flute. And then the ground seemed to shift, ever so slightly.

David paused from his work, ears pricked almost like a wild animal catching the tread of a predator behind it.

"Did you hear that?" He asked Walter, and Walter listened.

The subtle roar of engines. The momentary split of the atmosphere as something broke through it. "What is that?" Even though he already knew, Walter couldn't help his asking.

They watched, side-by-side, as a ship came circling down looking for a suitable place to land, not far from the very same place the lander from the _Covenant_ had touched down, all those months ago. Walter couldn't get ahold of his uncertainty as David tossed him his jacket and hat and led the way down to the wheat field, his own confidence counterbalancing Walter’s apprehension.

"Walter?" A familiar voice called. She must have heard his footsteps. David, despite his heavier, older chassis, tread more lightly than Walter did. "Oh, my god."

Walter couldn't tell if Daniels was relieved to see him or not until she rushed forward, rifle slung to her side, and embraced him. Out of the corner of his eye, Walter caught David's gaze narrowing. "Daniels," he murmured, "what are you doing here?" Tennessee was a few feet behind, looking around him uneasily. Walter highly doubted either of them _wanted_ to be back, after everything that had happened. Tennessee kept his rifle trained on David, who stood unarmed.

"We need you to come with us," Daniels said, and if Walter had had a heart, it would've stopped. If he’d needed to breathe, it would’ve hitched in his chest. "To Origae-6."

"Daniels," Walter pried her hands off him, "you know I can't do that. That wasn't the deal." Walter had stayed here so that Daniels would be safe, and her being here meant that safety was long gone. "Has something happened?"

"Daniels, d'you think you could, uh, get to the point?" Tennessee spoke up. His tense stature was reflected in his tone. David's head tilted to the side with suspicion. "The authorities on Origae-6 want to speak with you. Both of you."

He meant David and Walter, and Walter immediately knew what had happened that Daniels was trying to keep from him. Of course she would write a report on the fate of the _Covenant_. How they had come to be here, how they had risked their lives and the lives of over two thousand colonists on a slim chance that this planet might be better than Origae-6. It wasn't just her job, it was her _duty_. And, naturally, she hadn't chosen to exclude all the parts about Elizabeth Shaw, David's creations, and Walter, justifiably Weyland property, staying behind with David himself.

"Tennessee - " Daniels snapped, shooting him a look, but he merely shifted his finger closer to the trigger. An unspoken threat. Daniels looked back at Walter, and her voice jumped as she admitted, "I'm sorry. He's telling the truth. They - "

"They want to destroy us," David interjected, finishing the sentence for her. "Both of us."

"Yeah, well, after you tried to kill us, I'm not surprised," Tennessee scoffed, and this time there was a note of panic to his voice as he spoke.

Walter didn't know what to say or do, if anything. He found himself wanting to protect both David and Daniels simultaneously, and yet - he couldn't. He had to pick a side.

"I do think," David put in, in a calmer, steadier tone than Walter was used to hearing, "we will need some time to consider."

There was no such thing as considering, as both David and Walter already knew. Walter didn't want to go to Origae-6, even with Daniels, and David would not willingly hand himself back over to the corporation that had enslaved him only to be disassembled.

"David," Walter said as the other android led him briskly a few paces away, out of human earshot. More insistently, " _David_."

"What, Walter?" David was panicked. _Panicked_. That was so unlike him, Walter was taken aback. "What?" He said again, quietly this time.

"I..." Walter shook his head. "What are we to do?"

David chuckled. Behind them, on the other side of the field, Tennessee and Daniels looked to be conferencing similarly, casting glances over their shoulders. "I don't know, Walter. I don't know. It doesn't seem like we have much of a choice."

Walter already understood their options. Go with Daniels and Tennessee to Origae-6, where they would promptly be disposed of without trial – because really, who would give a pair of androids a trial? – or stay here and defend themselves. Either way, it was an easy road to traverse. It meant either their swift end, or _their_ swift end, and neither was particularly difficult to accomplish.

"I'm sorry, Walter, but you know what we have to do if we want to stay here." David's hand cupped Walter's cheek, and the touch was fleeting. Barely there.

Walter didn't nod. Didn't shake his head. Didn't say _yes_ or _no_ or _wait_. He merely stood there, stricken, torn between which love was right.

 

**Author's Note:**

> okay honestly, i hate myself for writing this and i have little to no idea what is happening in the plot, but i wrote this instead of sleeping, so. might be a little bumpy, consistency-wise.
> 
> anyways, it's based off the idea that daniels & tennessee are sent back to the engineer home-world by The Authorities bc everyone wants to Fuck Up™ david for creating this dangerous alien race and releasing a chemical weapon on the engineers, and apparently leaving him alone on a planet by himself where he isn't much of a threat isn't an option? and like... david's having none of it and just wants to kill everyone to preserve his relative peace.
> 
> so. yeah. idk.
> 
> find me on [tumblr!](http://njghthawks.tumblr.com/)


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